President: Giampaolo Pioli    |    Editor in Chief: Stefano Vaccara
English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro 

Subscribe for only $6/Year
  • Login
  • Register
VNY La Voce di New York

The First Italian English Digital Daily Newspaper in the US

  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Entertainment
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY
  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Entertainment
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY La Voce di New York
No Result
View All Result
in
New York
August 29, 2017
in
New York
August 29, 2017
0

A Bridge or a Day by Any Other Name

The New York Metropolitan area welcomes the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge replacing the Governor Malcolm Wilson - Tappan Zee Bridge

Donna ChiricobyDonna Chirico
A Bridge or a Day by Any Other Name
Time: 3 mins read

The Governor Malcolm Wilson –Tappan Zee Bridge is on the brink of being replaced by the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. No one I know refers to the current bridge by its full name; here in Rockland County, it is the Tappan Zee or just the Tap. I imagine that this will also be the case for the new bridge. The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge does not glide easily off the tongue and the traffic reporters will find that saying the full name takes up too much time in their thirty second broadcasts.

The opening and naming of the new bridge coincides with controversies arising throughout the country questioning of the appropriateness of statues and monuments dedicated to historical figures as well as the historical names in place on our roads, bridges and buildings. On Long Island, the Levittown School District decided to remove all the named days from its printed calendar for the upcoming school year. Parents are in an uproar over this action.  No Thanksgiving? No Columbus Day?

Most would be upset about Thanksgiving, but Columbus Day is different matter as it is a name that has ignited conflict and aggressive debate. The day is celebrated as part of Italian American Heritage and Culture Month. Each year, a Presidential Proclamation is issued to this effect. Some years the proclamation is specific to the day; more often it refers to the entire month. Separate from being a federal holiday, the day is commemorated well beyond the United States under different names such as Día de la Raza in Latin America and Fiesta Nacional de España in Spain. National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, includes Columbus Day.

None of this eliminates the anger and betrayal many feel toward Columbus and his legacy. In the 2016 Columbus Day proclamation, President Obama stated, “As we mark this rich history, we must also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers.” This sentiment has led many communities to change the name of the day; some have chosen Italian American Heritage and Culture Day and others have chosen Indigenous Peoples Day to highlight the brutal treatment of Native Americans by European empire-building. Seattle, Albuquerque, and St. Paul are just a few of the cities across the country to adopt Indigenous Peoples Day. Illinois gubernatorial candidate, Ameya Pawar has stated that if elected, he will work to have the state rename Columbus Day. Even Staten Island, often referred to as “Staten Italy,” has struggled with this issue. Several years ago, its Columbus weekend festivities were dubbed “Rome Through Richmond Town.” This year, the event is being called “Festa Italiana at the Mount: The Biggest Columbus Day Celebration in Staten Island’s History.” (The “mount” refers to Mount Loretto.)

Making Columbus Day a day to celebrate indigenous peoples does not seem the best resolution. It would taint the day moving forward. Instead, there should be a separate day to honor indigenous peoples not linked to the rhetoric of Columbus or the rancor the matter has created in both the Italian American and Native American communities. A propitious time is November during Native American Heritage Month. I suggest that the Columbus Day become a celebration of all immigrants as opposed to making it solely Italian American Heritage and Culture Day. It can become a day of solidarity for immigrants and their shared experience of exile.

Which brings us back to the new bridge. The history of the Hudson Valley is reflected in the names of its towns and water ways. Native American names were replaced by Dutch ones and then again by British names. Just as Manhattan became New Amsterdam and then New York City. If we are to remove all of the names associated with the inhumanity shown by those individuals, then there will be a good deal of renaming. Given that we do not know what the legacy of certain individuals will be in the long run, the lesson here is to refrain from using the names of people whose historical importance is likely to have been of the moment. Who actually remembers Governor Malcolm Wilson?

I would call it the Tuphanne Bridge – Tuphanne is a Lanape term for “cold water.”

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Donna Chirico

Donna Chirico

Dr. Donna M. Chirico is a Professor of Psychology, York College/CUNY and Resident Faculty, The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY Dr. Donna M. Chirico is a Professor of Psychology, York College/CUNY and Resident Faculty, The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

On Italian American Identity Without Catholicism

On Italian American Identity Without Catholicism

byDonna Chirico
As the Columbus Day Debate Rages On, So do the Time-Worn Stereotypes

As the Columbus Day Debate Rages On, So do the Time-Worn Stereotypes

byDonna Chirico

A PROPOSITO DI...

Tags: CharlottesvilleColumbus Daycolumbus day statueImmigrationitalian immigration in the StatesMario Cuomo
Previous Post

Libia, il debutto all’ONU dell’inviato Ghassan Salamé mette tutti d’accordo

Next Post

Tra cult e grandi nomi, la Mostra del cinema di Venezia ritrova la sua identità

Discussion about this post

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

A Bridge or a Day by Any Other Name

A Bridge or a Day by Any Other Name

byDonna Chirico
Vincenzo Marra, fondatore e chairman di ILICA, con la neo presidente Donna Chirico

Il nuovo decennio di ILICA: globalizzare lingua e cultura italiane

byDonna Chirico

Latest News

È un 72enne asiatico, Huu Can Tran, il killer del Capodanno cinese di Monterey Park

Ancora sangue a Los Angeles: 3 morti in una sparatoria nel Westside

byLa Voce di New York
Peru, nuovi scontri a Lima tra polizia e manifestanti

Peru, nuovi scontri a Lima tra polizia e manifestanti

byAnsa

New York

Al Calandra italoamericani e italiani si confrontano per cercare l’unione

Al Calandra italoamericani e italiani si confrontano per cercare l’unione

byLa Voce di New York
Love’s faithful, A Polypthych in Seven Panels for Dante Alighieri

Love’s faithful, A Polypthych in Seven Panels for Dante Alighieri

byAlessandro Cassin

Italiany

La crisi dell’istruzione nel mondo: 2/3 dei bambini non capiscono cosa leggono

Master Fondazione Italia-Usa: altre 200 borse di studio “Next Generation”

byLa Voce di New York
World Pasta Day: negli USA sempre più Made in Italy grazie all’ICE

World Pasta Day: negli USA sempre più Made in Italy grazie all’ICE

byNicola Corradi
Next Post
Tra cult e grandi nomi, la Mostra del cinema di Venezia ritrova la sua identità

Tra cult e grandi nomi, la Mostra del cinema di Venezia ritrova la sua identità

La Voce di New York

President: Giampaolo Pioli   |   Editor in Chief: Stefano Vaccara   |   English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro

  • New York
    • Eventi
  • Onu
  • News
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Voto Estero
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • People
    • Expat
  • Arts
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
    • Lingua Italiana
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • Mediterraneo
  • English
  • Search/Archive
  • About us
    • Editorial Staff
    • President
    • Administration
    • Advertising

VNY Media La Voce di New York © 2016 - 2022
Main Office: 230 Park Avenue, 21floor, New York, NY 10169 | Editorial Office/Redazione: UN Secretariat Building, International Press Corps S-301, New York, NY 10017

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • New York
  • Onu
  • News
    • Elezioni 2022
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • Arts
    • Speciale Venezia
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
    • Cucina Italiana
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • English
    • Arts
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Food & Wine
    • Letters
    • Lifestyles
    • Mediterranean
    • New York
    • News
  • Subscribe for only $6/Year

© 2016/2022 VNY Media La Voce di New York

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In
By clicking on "Create my account" or by registering, you accept the and the .

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?